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EDU-COM 2006 International Conference. Engagement and Empowerment: New Opportunities for Growth in Higher Education, Edith Cowan University, Perth Western Australia, 22-24 November 2006.

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to develop an interactive virtual whiteboard for collaboration learning (IVWCL). This will allow learners in different places to do activities together through the Internet at the same time. Suppose students from different places are assigned to work on an assignment, they need a way to communicate with each other effectively. Although they can use Web boards or Chat systems as their communication tools, it is difficult for them to understand the details clearly by means of typing, which is different from illustration or drawing. The present problem of using illustration method over the Internet is that the discussed images or pictures have to be saved before everybody can see them. If one person draws a line to depict details, the other party have to login at the same time in order to see the drawing lines. Therefore, it is difficult for the ones who join the discussion and presentation at a later time to understand what details of presentation have been discussed and presented. This is because they will not be able to see the pictures and drawing lines in sequential order. Therefore, the IVWCL system must have the capacity of relaying drawings made by a party to others and saving each drawing stroke including pictures loaded in a central database which can be drawn and loaded afterward. In this way, if someone else joins the conversation later, they can follow the discussion by watching each line redrawn and images reloaded in orderly sequence as if they are in the beginning of the discussion. After they can catch up the discussion, they may give their opinion to the counterparts via the proposed system if they want to. The test was performed successfully allowing one teacher and two students, logging in from three different locations, to discuss about writing Dataflow Diagram of the Enrolled Registration System.